Day of Learning

Putting 9/11 in perspective: The Prospects for Peace

Roger DesForges
Professor,
Department of History

Tuesday, September 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.*
110 Knox, North Campus

What is the meaning of the attacks on the World Trade Center in NYC and the Pentagon in Washington, D. C. on 9/11/01? Were they really the opening shots in a new world war against Islamo-fascism as some in the Bush administration would argue? This panel addresses this question, and others, by attempting to place the events of that day in time and space. The members are three historians, a political scientist, a cultural critic, and a mathematician, all concerned citizens of the U.S. who are also close observers of other parts of the world. Together they will explore alternative American views of 9/11 and the perspectives of the vast majority of the world's people living outside the boundaries—but not the influence—of the world's only superpower.

These brief presentations (eight minutes each) will be followed by a half-hour of questions and answers and active audience participation. This event is free and open to the public.

Andreas Daum, Professor of History, UB,
"Some European Perspectives," author of Politics as "Performance: Kennedy in Berlin" (German ed. 2003, Cambridge, 2007),

Roger Des Forges, Professor of History, UB,
"Some Chinese Views," author of "Cultural Centrality and Political Change in Chinese History: Northeast Henan in the fall of the Ming" (Stanford, 2003, Chinese edition forthcoming)

Bruce Jackson, SUNY Distingished Professor and Samuel P. Capen Professor of American Culture, UB,
"When the Web Grew Up," author of a continuing series of articles in Counterpunch and Buffalo Report on American politics and the forthcoming "Telling Stories: How Stories Work and the Work Stories Do" (Temple)

Mark Nathan, Doctoral Candidate in History, UCLA, and Adjunct Professor of History, UB,
"The Stand-off with North Korea in the Wake of 9/11," writing a dissertation on Korean Buddhism

Norollah Talebi, Professor of Mathematics, Daemen College,
"The U. S. Threat to Iran," frequent commentator in Farsi on Middle Eastern politics

Claude Welch, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor and Professor of Political Science, UB,
"Policy Implications of 9/11: Lessons from Somalia and Sudan," author of "Protecting Human Rights in Africa: Strategies and Roles of Non-Governmental Organizations" (1995)

*Times and locations may be subject to change

Cost: Free